Puzzle.



No. 742,397. PATEN'IED 007. 27,1903.

W. S. DAY.

PUZZLE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 20. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 27, 1903.

WILL SUMNER DAY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,397, dated October27, 1903. Application filed May 20, 1903. Serial No. 158,032. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it/known that I, WILL SUMNER DAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington,have invented a new and useful Puzzle, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to that class of toys which are known as puzzles,and specifically to that class of puzzles which are composed of separateparts or members, the puzzle consisting in so connecting said membersthat apparently they may not be disconnected without resorting to force,while when disconnected they may not apparently be restored to whatwould appear to be a permanently-connected condition.

The invention consists of a coil or helix, one end of said coil beingextended to form a loop or handle whereby the coil may be held while thedevice is being manipulated, and in the combination with said coil of aring to be connected therewith, substantially as will be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewillustrating the coil and ring of my puzzle separated from each other.Fig. 2 is a front view showing the ring passed over the coil and withdotted lines indicating its position supported by one of the coils ofthe helix. Fig. 3 is a front view, with dotted lines indicating theposition of the ring after it has been twisted so as to make thisremoval apparently impossible, and with full lines showing how the saidring when raised in the act of attempting its removal will beintercepted by the opposing coils of the helix.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by similarnumerals of reference.

1 designates a helical spring, the ends of which are made fast to thecoils adjacent thereto by means of solder or in any other suitablemanner, as shown at 2. The wire of which the spring is formed isextended beyond one of the end coils and bent upon itself to form a loop3, which is disposed approximately at right angles to the coil of thespring, the end of said loop being made fast to the end coil by means ofthe solder 2 which fastens the said end coil. The loop 3 is of aconvenient size and shape to form a handle by means of which the springor helix may be held and exposed to an audience while the trick is beingperformed. This forms the one member of my improved puzzle. The othermember thereof is formed by a ring 4 of slightly larger diameter thanthe coils of the helix. Brass wire or any other suitable material may beemployed in the construction of the members of my device.

To connect the members, the helix is passed partially through the ring,as shown in Fig. 2, and the ring is then dropped to the position shownin dotted lines in said figure. It is obvious that while the ring isthus suspend ed by one of the coils of the helix it may be readilyremoved by simply raising it to the position shown in full lines, whenthe helix may be withdrawn through the ring.

To so connect the members asto make their separation apparentlyimpossible, the ring 3, after being dropped to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 2, is given a half turn or twist, causing it tooccupy the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, when the sides ofsaid ring will be engaged by the adjacent coils of the helix to the coilwhich supports it, so that when the said ring is raised in the act ofattempting its removal to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 itwill be intercepted by said adjacent coils and its removal apparently berendered impossible. If it is attempted to remove the ring by followingthe coils of the helix to either end of the latter, the removal of saidring will be prevented, owing to the ends of the helix being fastened,as shown at 2 2. The puzzle is solved by discovering the only way ofremoving the ringnamely, giving it a reverse half twist or turn,restoring it to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The loop 3, which constitutes the handle of the device, may be utilizedfor advertising purposes by providing it with a covering (indicated at5) of strong paper, thin leather, parchment, or other suitable material,which may be attached thereto in any suitable and convenient manner. Thespace thus formed, while not of great extent, may be profitably used asan advertising-space. The cost of production of the puzzles is somoderate that IOO it may be found profitable to manufacture a coveringfor said loop adapted toreceive an the same forgratuitous distribution,the profimprint for advertising purposes.

its being derived from the disposal of the ad- In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as vertising-space. my own I have hereto aflixed mysignature in 5 Having thus described my invention, I the presence of twowitnesses.

claim- A puzzle comprising, in combination with WILL SUMNER D a ring, ahelical spring having its ends per- Witnesses: manently connected withthe adjacent coils, F. B. GREGG,

to a loop extending from one of said coils, and WM. A. TABB.

